Rare 9ct gold & enamel Scottish football medal hallmarked Birmingham 1920 by Vaughton & Sons.
The medal was presented to Johnny McKay as Celtic won the prestigious Glasgow Charity Cup in the season 1919 - 20 by beating Queen's Park 1 - 0 in the Final held at Hampden Park in front of a crowd of 45,000.
NOTE: I acquired the medal as unpersonalised but after close examination I found the rim engraved with the name of Johnny McKay. The name however is very heavily rubbed and possibly, someone has tried to erase the name but enough detail remains to identify the player. I believe it is important that wherever possible, players should be recognised for their achievements so their story can continue into the future.
The front of the medal bears the city of glasgow crest in enamel & is further embossed:
"GLASGOW FOOTBALL CHARITY CUP 1920"
The obverse is embossed:
"WINNERS. CELTIC F.C."
The rim is engraved with the name of the medal winner Johnny McKay but these details are just about discernible.
Included with the medal is a small photo reprint depicting John McKay.
9ct Gold Medal: Weight: 14.2 gm. Width: 28 mm. Height: 34 mm. Hall Mark: Birmingham 1920. Maker's Mark: Vaughton & Sons.
John "Johnny" Reid McKay (1st November 1898 - 6th February 1970): Johnny played for local side, St Anthony's before signing for Celtic on 2nd June 1919, playing at Inside Left. Between 1919 & 1921 he played 10 League games for Celtic, scoring 6 goals.
According to the Celtic WiKi, Johnny earned just one medal playing for Celtic, the 1920 Glasgow Charity Cup (the medal for sale).
Johnny left Celtic on 11th November 1921 to join Blackburn Rovers where he had a successful career before then joining Middlesbrough and later, Hibernian. Again, according to the Celtic WiKi, the club had regrets losing Johnny in 1921 and felt that he would have been a success at the club had he stayed.
Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup: A knockout football tournament open to teams from in and around Glasgow but was later opened up to teams outwith Glasgow. Naturally, the tournament was dominated by Celtic & Rangers.
In the 1920 Glasgow Charity Cup Final (to which the medal relates) was won by Celtic as they defeated Queen's Park 1 - 0.
Summary: As can be seen by the photos & history (above) this is a rare & collectable Scottish football medal won by Celtic. It was rewarding to discover the medal was won by Johnny McKay as this was the only medal the player won while playing for the club. Good luck!